Onc2023 Stories

Taylor West is the epitome of self-reliance. Or she must be. Relationships are fickle. Despite finally enrolling in her dream studies and thriving in them, her social life is only skin-deep. When she finds out that her so-called boyfriend is a selfish cheater, her chronic condition flares up again. Walking around as if somebody had thrown itching powder all over you is not fun. Due to the mental strain, Taylor resorts to medication - but pills can only do so much. If that wasn't bad enough, she keeps running into Killian, whose annoying ways are starting to get under her skin. When a mysterious stalker shows up and things take a dangerous turn, Killian's help might be exactly what she needs.

Are you wondering what prompts we've used in past ONCs? You can find them in this book as we gathered all the prompts used in the past installments. You may use these prompts as inspiration for any story you want to write - no credits necessary! Have fun!

When a grandmother is declared the Chosen One, she abandons her rocking chair to challenge the Dark Lord who plots to destroy the world. -- Formerly a single mother, now a devoted grandma, Granny Thayer has never left her hometown before, let alone slayed a demon. But she'd better learn fast; she's just been selected as the Chosen One, the only hero who can defeat the nefarious Dark Lord of Devnia and avert a zombie apocalypse. Accompanied by a devastatingly handsome prince, a failed bard, and a werewolf with a dangerous secret, Granny Thayer embarks on a quest full of intrigue and love triangles to save her grandson. This is a collaboration for ONC 2022/2023, written by SophieKestrel and Spelunkadunk. Prompt: "It's always what/who you least expected that blows your mind away."

✨️ONC 2023 Shortlisted✨️ 'And I knew then, with an earth-shattering certainty, that everything I'd worked for, strived for, suffered for, had just turned to dust. My life as I knew it, scattered along the pavement with shards of windscreen and the contents of my stomach.' As the ruling queen of her elite private school, Annabel Sinclair has the brains and ruthlessness to go far. But an unexpected pregnancy and an 'incident' with a golf club and her ex-boyfriend's car leaves her expelled and disowned by her friends. Suddenly she's shipped off to the wrong side of town and forced to live with her estranged dad. If that isn't enough drama to deal with, his eccentric neighbours, the Grady's come into her life. Annabel doesn't need their unique blend of chaos as she's desperately trying to cling onto her old life. And she definitely doesn't need the spark that's growing between her and Connor Grady... ✨️Open Novella Contest 2023 entry✨️ Prompts - 69. I had a marvellous time ruining everything - Taylor Swift 44. Music is the bridge that can join together people regardless of their differences. Connect your diverse characters through their love of music. Trigger warning - references and detailed descriptions of pregnancy.

Whether it's your first time or your seventh time, writing a novella in 12 weeks isn't easy. As a 2021 ONC Winner and two-time Honorable Mention (2023/2024), I totally understand. After years of participation and reflection, I have lots of advice to share on how I wrote a winning novella and look forward to writing every year. Inside this guide, you can find everything from insider tips to craft chats to contest commentary. So grab a cup, get your notebook, and settle in: it's time to start writing! Copyright © 2022 Elle Chaika

2023 Leighyeann A. Mies All rights reserved An entry for the Open Novella Contest 2023 (based on prompt #56) Book #3 of the Face saga [COMPLETED ON 30/4/2023] *** Everyone knows Sim Daejung, the master troublemaker from South Korea who took the state of New York by storm with his shenanigans. When it comes to getting other people spill their darkest secrets, he's unrivaled. Until just now. Jung Sanghyun is yet another hopeful who leaves his home country to find his way through the so-called American dream. Or nightmare, it depends on perspectives. Nevertheless, this doesn't deter him from his goal: delving into other people's inner demons, like Sim Daejung does. Put him in an elevator with six other people, and trouble is served...

College student Chris Marley agrees to help an enigmatic professor test a cutting-edge AI tool, but discovers he's entered into a Faustian bargain, and must fight to resist the temptation of power and save his soul. ~~~ In this modern reimagining of the Faust myth, Chris Marley, a student at Southern California University, joins an enigmatic professor's research team testing Project Narcissus, a new AI content-generation tool. Limited only by his imagination, Chris invents new talents and accomplishments to erase his shortcomings. His only proof is what he can conjure with Project Narcissus, but the evidence doesn't lie--or so people believe. Though his fabrications earn him fame, fortune, and a girlfriend, the more Chris embraces his new persona, the more he sacrifices to maintain it. When his unconditional access to Project Narcissus expires, Chris must choose between the temptations of his unfettered creativity and preserving his authentic self. Readers have said: "I find this novel most intriguing as a chronicle of our modern age. Much may be gleaned by studying past stumbles and missteps, that we may avoid repeating history's mistakes." - George Washington "What's the deal with this novel? I gotta tell ya, it was quite a story. Really made me think, you know?" - Jerry Seinfeld "The ending leaves unclear whether he has gained wisdom. I suppose we cannot expect profound personal growth in the span of a novel!" - Lizzie Bennet "Perchance this tale can serve as a caution for us [all]... For as quickly as dreams are conjured, they can turn to nightmares when born of thoughtless fancy." - Puck

The Sentinels are finished. Everyone knows that. Once crucial to the defence of the galaxy, now neglected and labelled as irrelevant, the legendary warriors are a shadow of their former selves. No longer a bastion of the best and brightest, in this time of drones and AIs, when contracts have taken the place of conflicts, they're little more than a collection of misfits and miscreants, battling to justify their existence. None more so than their leader Cameron Estrela - an Earthling, a nobody from a nowhere planet. And now, with a mysterious and sinister threat looming and the fate of the galaxy at stake, they may have the chance. Provided, that is, Cam can steer clear of his malignant ex, see off a swarm of space-pirates, save the Sentinels from budget-cutting bureaucrats and keep both himself and his ragtag crew from being blasted into their component molecules. Good thing he likes a challenge.

PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS meets Victorian England in this whimsical historical fantasy about love, feminism, family, and revenge. *** United Kingdom, 1852. 19-year-old Atalanta "Hattie" Rayburn has seen monsters everywhere since she was a child. When the mysterious man in her dreams appears in real life to warn her about a prophecy, Hattie discovers she is a demigoddess, a daughter of Zeus. The Greek gods are real... along with all the monsters she once heard about. With Ben, another demigod, she will have to travel across England to get to talk with her father. He is the only one who can give her answers... because the prophecy says she will have to make a decision that will define the fate of the world -but will she save it, or destroy it?

When Ava is sucked into her grandmother's mirror, she is thrust into a world of her worst nightmares. Alone and surrounded by friends turned enemies, escaping seems like an impossible task. Grímhildr is a spirit tied to the mirror. Once a beautiful and powerful sorceress, centuries of confinement have taken their toll, and she is determined to lay waste to the real world. She will do anything to make it happen. Ava only has a week to face her fears, uncover Grímhildr's secrets, and escape the mirror. If she fails, she will be stuck in the mirror for good, and Grímhildr's vengeance will be unleashed on the outside world. The clock is ticking. --- Cover by @ryevain

Liha wants to avenge his family. If he has to become one of the king's men to do this, he will. But in the capital Penira, the golden city, he learns fast a man has to prove his worth. Sword in hand, if needs be. Dánirah hates the city, and people of her tribe are not welcome there. But she must deliver a message to one of her mother's contacts. When she is attacked, a young stranger tries to help her. They both end up wounded and in the care of a harlot. Months later, they meet again on the battlefield. Dánirah has the information to turn the tide of war. But can Liha convince the future king to trust the young tribal woman he hardly knows himself?

A child suffers the loss of both her parents at a young age rendering her extremely heartless. She gets put into foster care only to be separated from her older brother when they get adopted. How will she perceive her foster-parents and the new world around her? Easy green turns to red and red turns to green. Megan has been traumatized and revels in traumatizing others. Her new found goal is the end of yours.

Four strangers are trapped in an elevator and forced to reveal details about their most malicious deeds within the hour to prevent a fall to their death. But as secrets are exposed, tension escalates, leading to a reality no one is prepared for. ***** Tasha Pierce receives an anonymous invitation she believes is from her ex-boyfriend hoping to see her in the high-rise building where he resides. But upon ascending in the elevator with three strangers, one of them hits the emergency stop and demands they share details of their most malicious deed within the hour to prevent falling several stories to their death. As secrets are revealed and the hour closes in, who the people are and why they are trapped in a precarious elevator together soon becomes the least of her worries. ***** ONC Prompt 56: You are on a typical awkward elevator ride with a group of other people, and suddenly someone says, "So, I bet you are wondering why I've gathered you here," before hitting the emergency button. ***** | ONC 2023 Round 1 Ambassadors Pick | Copyright©2023 by L.L. Sanders

Jade Snow by day, Sapphire Bullseye by night. Sandshore. A place of beauty and disaster. She is one of the top assassins in the underworld. Sent out to kill and steal. Nothing is too challenging for this woman but what happens when she is sent on a mission to Frostbourne to assassinate the Prince. Secrets will be revealed. Fights will break out and those they loved will die in the crossfire. Cover by @-DeeIsDead--

🏆ONC 2023 || Ambassador's Pick 🏆ONC 2023 || Round Two Qualifier One night is all it takes to change a life. There's something wrong with Felicity Farr. It's how she can't seem to do her job right no matter how hard she tries, and how she's still under her parents' thumb years after moving out, and how she looks at girls the way she should look at boys. So even though she can't fix anything, she tries to fix herself all the same. But when a blind date ends with her in an attractive stranger's bed, Felicity is forced to question everything in her life. Especially when said attractive stranger asks her to run away with her for a week. Clover Chai is beautiful, confident, and everything Felicity should avoid. But she captures Felicity like the drag of the tide, and as the week drags on, Felicity finds herself having to choose between her head and her heart---especially since she can't imagine her summer fling remaining a fling anymore.

Upon unfolding an enigmatic book, Nathaniel wakes up disoriented and thirsty in a world beyond his imagination. As he delves deeper into this new realm, he realizes that he's also been altered in ways he never could have imagined. Amidst the beguiling landscapes and mystic creatures, Nathaniel will face two paths: to surrender to the allure of that spellbinding world, or to brave the unknown in a quest for escape.

Upon the death of his beloved grandfather, Jake inherits a family heirloom, a ring that has been passed down through generations of his family line. As a final goodbye, Jake's family decides to stay at his grandfather's house for the summer, and he decides to honour his grandfather's memory by retracing their shared memories. As Jake steps on the bus, that being one of the things he loved doing with his grandfather as a kid, someone catches his eye. Day after day, he spots the same person sitting at the same seat, and his curiosity about him grows. When Jake finally builds the courage to approach the mysterious guy, the response is nothing he expected. With an allusion to invisibility from his crush, Jake's life is about to change for better or worse. *** [Open Novella Contest 2023] Prompt #75: You have a family heirloom, it's been passed way long before anyone can remember. You inherited this object and discover its secret. This secret will twist your life and change it forever. Other Prompts Used: • Prompt #20: You finally build enough courage to talk to that cute someone you see every day on the bus. Their face turns dark as they respond "You shouldn't be able to see me." • Prompt #31: As an antiquarian, you frequent auctions as much as possible to grow your collection. After a mysterious invitation was sent to you about an underground auction, you were hoping for a usual win only to find that the items are otherworldly and the stuff of dreams - and the most dangerous item was sold to the last person that should have it. Cover by @calistacyq Images are chosen by @BoredSeung

When a lonely vet tech unknowingly befriends a gorilla shifter over a mutual love of music, their lives will change forever. Claire Beck is at a crossroads in her life when her ringtone song attracts the attention of the newest gorilla at the local zoo, a male who refuses to interact with either guests or the female gorillas he shares an exhibit space with. Charlie is a withdrawn silverback captured running loose in a Denver park. A year at the zoo in Colorado Springs hasn't changed his outlook, so he's going to be transferred to an animal refuge with a questionable reputation. The zoo keeper in charge of his care has a plan to help Charlie escape-with Claire's help. In the aftermath of the escape, Claire discovers that Charlie is more than what he seems. She must then decide if she will return to her old life alone or instead bond with a beast who is likely to leave her with a broken heart.

"Excuse me, mister, but why did everything suddenly turn black and white?" A miserable adult who prefers to ignore everything, including their dying father. A concerned neighbor/friend/something more with curious connections. A taxi driver who doesn't bother to ask where the passenger wants to go. And a cat with unclear intentions. Where will this journey lead to, if anywhere? --------------------------------------------------------- • Based on prompt #9 of ONC. • Started: February 2, 2023 • Ended: November 15, 2023

Where I brainstorm off old and new ONC prompts utilizing various fandom, I'm familiar with to give an idea of how to use prompts during ONC, and figure out the ins and outs of brainstorming for ONC.